IZA CALZADO: Playing the Part

Actress. Model. TV Host. Those are just some of the words associated with the multi-talented Iza Calzado. She is a well-known face in the industry, having starred in popular television programs and blockbuster films from Star Cinema.

This year, the actress is set to star on a new primetime drama, Ngayon at Kailanman, with Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto, which is expected to win the hearts of Kapamilya viewers nationwide.

But before we catch her on the Primetime scene once again, let’s get to know Iza by looking back on some her performances in the Kapamilya Network through the years.

Iza, on-screen

After signing an exclusive contract with ABS-CBN in 2012, Iza had appeared in several Kapamilya programs including Sunday variety show ASAP and the longest-running drama anthology in Philippine television, Maalaala Mo Kaya; where she celebrated her 10th year in show business in the episode “Cross-stitch” and “Komiks.”

Iza played the role of a young woman named Andrea in the melodrama Kahit Puso’y Masugatan, where she acted as one of the leading ladies with Andi Eigenmann and the main love interest for both leading men, played by Jake Cuenca and Gabby Concepcion. The drama followed the story of two girls who meet again after many years and face a relationship problem when they fall in love with the same man: Rafael (Jake Cuenca). The plot thickens when Andrea also falls for Miguel (Gabby Concepcion), Rafael’s father.
In 2013, Iza had a special participation in the program MulingBuksan Ang Puso, starring Julia Montes, Enrique Gil, and Enchong Dee. The actress played the role of a young Elvira Santelices, the antagonist of the drama; showing off that she can also play the villain in the story. That year, she also made a guest appearance as Ka Iza in the sitcom, Todo Max, with Vhong Navarro and Angel Locsin.

Apart from her appearances in drama programs, Iza also hosted the 2014 reality TV show: The Biggest Loser: Pinoy Edition: Doubles, where she said to have had a personal approach, considering her first-hand experience with weight struggles. In an interview with ABS-CBN news, Iza shared her own weight loss journey which had inspired the contestants and viewers as well.

Iza starred in the family drama Hawak Kamay in 2014, where she played the role of Bianca Magpantay-Agustin, a strict attorney who helps Gin (Piolo Pascual), a musician left as a guardian of 3 orphaned children, become a good father. Iza also starred in a film that same year with Piolo Pascual in Star Cinema’s “Starting Over Again,” portraying the role of Patty, the kind and understanding love interest of the male lead, which won her Film Actress of the Year in the 46th Guillermo Mendoza Box Office Entertainment Awards.

Iza goes back to television in 2017 with the drama A Love to Last where she played the main female antagonist, Grace Silverio; a spoiled-heiress and ex-wife of the main male lead, Anton (Ian Veneracion). She also made a cameo as Colonel Olivia Buenaventura in FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, starring Coco Martin.

Whether it be a strong lead role, a supporting love interest, or the cruel villain who spices up the plotline, Iza can definitely play the part, proving her talent and versatility… a mark of a true-born actress. This 2018, she is set to prove her skills once again in the much-anticipated debut drama of JoshLia, Ngayon at Kailanman, where she is reported to play one of the main roles.

Catch Iza Calzado in the upcoming Primetime drama Ngayon at Kailanman, premiering this August 20, 2018.